Jul
10
Written by:
William Lutz
7/10/2009 10:16 AM
Gov. Rick Perry has named Gail Lowe (R-Lampasas) as the new chairman of the State Board of Education. Lowe is a newspaper publisher who has served on the board since 2003. She has previously served as chairman of the board's Committee on Planning.
“Gail has shown exemplary leadership and commitment to the education of young Texans through her work on the State Board of Education for the past seven years, as a classroom volunteer assisting elementary school students with math and reading, and as a member of the Lampasas School District [board],” said Perry. “I am confident that through her leadership, we will continue to ensure that Texans receive the educational foundation necessary to be successful in college, the workplace and beyond.”
The socially conservative Free Market Foundation immediately praised the appointment. “Our state and our schoolchildren will benefit greatly from Mrs. Lowe’s service, care, and commitment as the new State Board of Education Chair,” said Jonathan Saenz, legislative director at Free Market Foundation. “We hope that the usual critics will rise above their religious discrimination of the past and allow Mrs. Lowe to focus on the important education issues of our state.”
For Perry, this was actually a fairly clever appointment. The Houston Chronicle printed a rumor that Cynthia Dunbar was in the running for the appointment. A few lines from her recent book, however, have been blown up by the left as part of their non-stop campaign to discredit the board's social conservatives. Lowe isn't a lightning rod, and she works and plays well with others. Her appointment won't satisfy the far left; only one of their own would. But Lowe has a conservative voting record and a demeanor that works well as chairman.